Doormat Babe
by JJCookie16
Summary: 2x5,1x2x5 With only a note and a name Duo is forced into early parenthood after finding a baby on his doorstep. After an accident rips Hilde away from Duo, can he depend on friends he hasn't spoken to since the end of the war?
1. Chapter 1

Title: Doormat Babe

Author: JJCookie16

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, I just make up the plot as I go along and of course I don't receive any monetary value from this whatsoever.

Author's Notes: I know the whole 'Baby on the door-step' plot has been done to death, but I'm changing it slightly and throwing in a whole bunch of twists and turns. So hold on to your hats, seats, or whatever you can grab a hold of, 'cause it's gonna be a bumpy ride. Please review and let me know what you think.

Archive:

Pairings: 2x5, possible future 1x2x5?

Rating: T...may go up in later chapters, it will be posted.

Warnings: Angst, minor-character death

Genres: Drama, Family, Angst, Romance

Chapter 1

Glancing over at his clock, Duo groaned in dismay; it read 2am, not a time one should be ringing his doorbell. But at the rather persistent ringing, he decided it might be something important. Stumbling out of bed, he blearily made his way across his apartment to the front door. Carefully cracking the door open to the extent of the security chain, Duo glanced out into the hallway. Seeing as it was completely empty, he slid back the lock and fully opened it. To his surprise there was nobody anywhere in sight.

"Okay, what's playing Ding-Dong-Ditch at 2am?" Duo muttered sleepily. It was as he started to step out into the hallway for a better look that he literally stumbled across something on his doormat.

Looking down at his feet, Duo cocked his head to the side at the strange sight that met his gaze. There was a basinet sitting at his feet, with a very tiny baby swaddled inside it.

"What the...?" Duo blinked, his brain not quite up to processing what his eyes were seeing this early in the morning. Stepping over the baby, Duo quickly walked down the hall, hoping to catch whomever it was that had deposited the child on his doorstep before they got too far away. Unfortunately, it seemed the person had vanished completely, as the halls, elevators and stairs were empty.

Not sure what to do about the situation, Duo called the only person close enough to help him.

"Duo, it's almost 3am in the morning. Why are you talking about babies now?" Hilde asked, struggling not to fall back asleep.

"I'm trying to tell you that someone dropped a baby off on my doorstep Hilde," Duo replied shortly.

"As in like, with a note saying "here's your kid, have a nice life" type of deal?" Hilde gaped.

"Yeah, complete with note. Although considering I have never been with anyone except you there is no way this kid can be mine," Duo explained, running a hand frustratingly through his bangs.

"Well maybe it's a case of mistaken identity," Hilde suggested.

"I doubt it since the note clearly reads, 'Dear Duo, here's your son. I can no longer care for him, and hope that you can do a better job.' With of course no name as to who wrote it," Duo sighed.

"So the mommies a mystery...does the kid have a name?" Hilde asked.

"Uh, says here it's Damon," Duo read.

"It's a boy? Geez like I can handle one of you, what am I gonna do with two of you running around?" Hilde joked, trying to lessen the tension on the other end of the line.

Duo just scowled, "Can you get over here Hilde, I don't know anything about babies and I'm pretty sure if I leave it out on the doorstep my neighbors are gonna get suspicious."

"Just because I'm a girl Duo doesn't mean I know any more about them than you do. You're the one who spends every Sunday down at the orphanage with the kids," Hilde remarked.

"That's different, they can all walk, talk and basically fend for themselves. This is a whole other territory I don't know anything about," Duo defended.

"Alright, fine, but I have to do some shopping first. I'm guessing Damon didn't come with any supplies, right?" Hilde assumed.

"Supplies? Like what?" Duo asked, reaching down inside the basinet to check for things he might have missed.

"Bottles, diapers, extra clothing, toys, etc?" Hilde explained.

"Nope, just the basinet, the kid, the blanket he came wrapped in and the note," Duo replied.

"Okay then, I'll be over in a few hours. In the mean time, pick him up if he gets fussy and make sure he's not wet or dirty," Hilde instructed before hanging up the phone.

'Pick him up? Ya, sure thing...' Duo thought, dropping the phone onto the couch and staring down at the delicate face peeking up at him from inside the layers of blanket.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Doormat Babe

Author: JJCookie16

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, I just make up the plot as I go along and of course I don't receive any monetary value from this whatsoever.

Author's Notes: I know the whole 'Baby on the door-step' plot has been done to death, but I'm changing it slightly and throwing in a whole bunch of twists and turns. So hold on to your hats, seats, or whatever you can grab a hold of, 'cause it's gonna be a bumpy ride. Please review and let me know what you think.

Archive:

Pairings: 2x5, possible future 1x2x5?

Rating: T...may go up in later chapters, it will be posted.

Warnings: Angst, minor-character death

Genres: Drama, Family, Angst, Romance

Chapter 2:

Not having any clue as to how to go about picking up the child, nor even wanting to contemplate checking to see if it was wet or messy, Duo was relieved when Hilde finally entered the apartment, multiple bags hanging from her arms.

"What did you do, buy out the entire baby section?" Duo joked.

"Haha, very funny. You'd be amazed how many things a baby actually requires. And these are just the essentials; diapers, bottles, formula, clothing, a few toys..." she replied, carefully extracting the things one by one and placing them on the coffee table in front of Duo.

"When did you become such an expert at child care?" Duo asked, goggling at all the supplies.

"I would hardly call myself an expert, but there are certain things that all babies need. Besides the rest of it I just asked an associate to help me with, like diaper and clothing sizes and which kind of formula to get," Hilde explained.

"You know you really didn't have to do all of this, I mean getting the diapers and food was one thing, but it's not like I'm keeping the kid," Duo said, earning a surprised look from Hilde.

"Duo, you can't mean you're going to just dump the kid, are you?" she asked in bewilderment.

"Of course not! But I'm not prime parent material here, the nuns at the orphanage would do a much better job than me; at least until I can figure out how to locate his parents or someone in his family," Duo retorted.

"You can't leave him at the orphanage! For God's sake Duo he was left on your doorstep with a note for you to take care of him. The least you can do is watch him until then," Hilde cried in outrage.

"Hilde I don't know anything about babies, how am I going to take care of him? I can't strap him to my back while I work out in the yard," Duo argued.

"I'll watch him while you do that then. He can stay with me inside while I do the paperwork," Hilde replied firmly.

Duo was about to protest again when a shrill cry was heard, emanating from the basinet. Both adult quickly went silent as they stared down at the creature make such a racket.

"Geez, the kids got some pipes on him," Duo cringed, leaning further away from the squalling child.

"I don't think he likes us fighting, kids can usually tell when people are upset by the tones around them," Hilde sighed, reaching into the basinet and lifting the child out.

Duo watched in amazement as she cradled the screaming infant to her chest, cooing gently and rocking him until his cries quieted.

"You definitely need to find his parents or someone to take him, it doesn't seem right to just drop him off at the orphanage. I know the nuns are really nice, but they have their hands full as it is," Hilde commented quietly, a look of pleading crossing her face.

Duo sighed, he really hadn't wanted to abandon the boy either, but the thought of trying to do what Hilde was doing right now scared him. He always spent his Sundays down at the orphanage, going to mass with the children and the nuns. It was a sort of penance for him for everything that had happened at Father Maxwell's church so many years ago. Duo had quickly bonded with the children there, seeing so many who reminded him of how it was growing up on the streets at such a young age. It was easy to fall in love with all the rowdy children at the orphanage, and they looked up to Duo as a sort of older brother figure. But he'd never had any experience with a child that couldn't walk, talk or even feed itself yet, that sort of dependency seemed way out of Duo's league.

"I don't know how I'm going to be able to track down his folks. There was no name on the letter, and I doubt the local authorities would be much help, they've got bigger problems to worry about with all the raids and fights going on," Duo groused, crossing his arms over his chest.

"They'd probably put him into social services in the mean time anyway..." Hilde frowned, the idea not settling well with her at all.

"I just don't see how we're going to be able to take care of him, we're both so busy with the scrap yard and you know the Sweepers or Preventers could call me anytime," Duo mentioned.

Hilde's face lit up suddenly, "that's it Duo! The Preventers have resources nobody out here does, they could find his family in no time."

"No way, I can't ask Lady Une to do that. And she'd never authorize me to do my own investigation, I'm only a Preventer when she really needs me for something," Duo said, shaking his head.

"Then what about Heero or Wufei? They can use their connections for you," Hilde suggested.

"You know I don't talk to them anymore, Hil," Duo replied, quietly.

Hilde's shoulders slumped at the dark look on Duo's face. She knew better than to bring any of the ex pilots names up around Duo, but under the circumstances she had hoped perhaps he would look past their problems. Duo had practically fled back to L2 after the end of the wars and although they had talked about starting up a scrap yard together, she figured now it was just an excuse to stay as far away from the others as possible.

Lady Une had extended an invitation to all the ex pilots to join the Preventers, knowing their talents would be used well and how hard it might be for them to find jobs with their reputations. Heero had however opted to stay as Relena's bodyguard for the first year and a half before joining. Duo had joined on as a consultant if they needed him, but had stressed that his first priority was to his scrap yard. Trowa had also joined on as a stand in if needed, but had joined Quatre on L4 when he took his place as Winner Corps. head CEO. Quatre had refused all together as his company was actually helping to fund the Preventers and in the last year he had moved back down to Earth to start up several of his pet projects. Wufei had also refused at first and had spent a year with Sally in a few remote regions of China helping the budding doctor rebuild some of the poorest communities. He had however joined on permanently when he realized he could be of better help to more people there.

"I really think they'd be the most help Duo. The least you could do is give them a call and ask. Afterall, somebody had got to be missing this little guy terribly right now," Hilde requested, giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

Glancing from Hilde's pleading expression to the wide-eyed cherubic face nestled to Hilde's chest, Duo crumbled.

"Alright, I'll call Chang. I doubt Yuy would give two spits about an abandoned kid out here on L2, but I know Chang was working in China with Sally for awhile. At least that guys got some heart and soul left in him," Duo relented.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Duo waited with bated breath for Wufei to answer the phone, it had been years since he had willingly engaged the ex-Shenlong pilot in conversation because more often than not he was ridiculed and scored; which Duo had enough of by the end of the wars.

"Chang"

"It's Maxwell, I need some help acquiring some information from the Preventer's data base," Duo explained, hoping to cut to the chase and not to bother with idle chit chat.

"Maxwell? Duo Maxwell?" Wufei asked, staring at the phone in his hand in confusion and surprise.

"Yes, I'm currently on L2 and I don't have free access to the info I need," Duo added.

"There's no Preventer's branch up there to log onto our mainframe," Wufei supplied, understanding the reason for the call now.

"No, and Une won't set one up because it's still too volatile an environment for that sort of law enforcement. As much as I understand the reasoning, it's really a pain in the ass when I need the extra help," Duo explained.

"I understand, so what information do you need?" Wufei asked.

"I need fingerprint records, birth certificates and possibly medical records as well. I need to find any living relatives of a child that was left with me last night by an unknown person, possibly the mother," Duo said.

"You're looking for the family of an abandoned child?" Wufei asked, sounding skeptical.

Duo groaned silently and sent up a prayer of understanding. "I know missing persons is not Preventers forte, but the local police here are going to be near useless, they're swamped with more homicides, suicides and thievery than they can handle. The kid's gonna get shipped off to some boarding house while his paperwork gets buried and lost in some black hole and then he'll be another poor orphan in the system."

Wufei winced hearing the slight frustration and pain as the topic obviously rubbed on some old, raw wounds about Duo's own past and his inability to do anything about it. Having not heard a single word from the long haired young man since the end of the wars, Wufei wanted to help him, but he wasn't sure how successful he'd be.

"How old is the child Duo? Can he provide us with any information, where he came from, his mother's name?" Wufei asked.

"I don't know his exact age, Hilde thinks somewhere between one to three months old. Not real helpful otherwise, but whoever dropped him off left a handwritten note, so if their prints are in the system at least we've got a start," Duo replied hopefully.

Wufei's eyes widened, it was unusual for one so young to be abandoned so suddenly. Even in the most remote areas of China where food was scarce, infants were treasured and each birth celebrated. Life was such a precious thing, especially now that everyone was trying to slowly re-build after the wars. No life should just be pushed to the side as if not important.

"I agree Maxwell, the note will need to be processed and if the child was born in a hospital his records should be in the system. We're going to need to do blood tests to confirm the DNA of any possible family members. I'll inform Sally so she can be ready. How long until you're on planet?" Wufei asked.

Duo stammered, he'd forgotten how quickly Chang's mind could process information and run with it. "Um, I wasn't anticipating on leaving. I can send the note to you and easily do a search of hospitals in the area."

Wufei rolled his eyes; he could tell Duo was stalling, trying not to lie while also making up a plausible excuse. "Maxwell you will hand deliver that note to me and any other important evidence and let Sally do any necessary tests."

'Damnit!' Duo thought, Wufei wasn't going to let him off that easy. And casting a glance back at Hilde wasn't any help either, the woman was giving him a glare to rival Yuy's. Cursing mentally again, Duo agreed to catch the next shuttle for Earth.

Several hours later, Hilde had once again hit up the baby department and Duo stared in awe at all the paraphernalia she was unpacking.

"Okay Duo all of this should make your trip with Damon much easier. This is his carrier, it has a 5 point safety harness and can be strapped into the backseat of a car using the seatbelt, but make sure it's facing backwards otherwise it's not safe for him. This is a back pack style carrier for him, slip your arms through the loops, buckle the waist band, make sure everything is snug and then lift him up, turn him towards you and slip his legs into the holes and gently pull the adjustable straps on the sides to keep him secure against your chest. I was told that this can be very convenient if he gets fussy because you can do just about anything while you're wearing him," Hilde explained.

"Right, just strap the baby on and he becomes another fashion accessory," Duo snickered.

Hilde just glared again and kept going. "This is the diaper bag, it's got pockets on the inside for diapers and a zippered side pocket that's thermally insulated for bottles, this large zippered area on the back has a changing pad and an air tight, leak proof pouch for wipes and these two small pouches on the front are for car keys and binkies."

"For what? What is a binky?" Duo asked

"These," Hilde replied, holding up a small package of four primary colored pacifiers.

Duo just nodded, feeling completely overwhelmed and unprepared. "You do realize I have no idea how to change a diaper, feed him or anything else regarding the care and maintenance of a baby, right?"

"The basics aren't that hard Duo, and if he starts crying you can check to see if he needs to be changed, try a bottle, try burping and if all else fails just pick him up, cradle him in your arms and try walking and rocking," Hilde suggested.

With Duo still looking a little shell shocked, Hilde laid the changing pad on the floor, grabbed a package of baby wipes and a diaper. "Okay Duo go get Damon and we'll give diaper changing a try."

Duo picked up the bassinet and gently laid it next to Hilde.

"You're going to have to pick him up eventually, you know this, right?" Hilde raised an eyebrow at him.

"But what if I drop him or something?" Duo asked.

"You won't drop him, just remember to support his head and neck and if you keep him close to your chest, almost like holding a football he'll be fine," Hilde said, motioning for Duo to try.

Managing to scoop Damon into his arms without as much trouble as he'd first anticipated, Duo stared down at the tiny bundle in wonder. "He's so cute, why would someone just leave him?"

"Maybe the mother was too young or didn't have the money to take care of him. In any case he's safe here with us," Hilde replied.

Trying not to dwell on it too much Duo pushed his anger and frustration about the situation to the back of his mind while diligently following Hilde's instructions on how to change a diaper. The whole process seemed simple enough, and as long as Duo could remember which side of the diaper was front and which was back and to keep a firm hold of Damon's wiggling, kicking legs, he was just fine.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

"It's better this way anyway Duo, as soon as he gets a look at this sweet little face he'll be doing everything he can to help. I'm sure anyone would in fact," Hilde assured him. "And even if nothing comes if it, I don't think I'd mind so much."

Duo's jaw dropped. "You'd want to keep him?"

Hilde smiled and nodded, cooing gently at the bundle still cradled in her arms.

"Aw Hil' you know we can't keep him. He deserves to be with a real family, who know what they're doing," he replied, sinking down into the couch next to her.

"We may not be what I want Duo, I know you don't love me like I love you, but as long as we're both here for him it really shouldn't matter," she whispered, her eyes refusing to meet his.

Duo's heart broke at seeing the flash of pain across her face. They'd both realized awhile ago that as much as they both cared for each other, Duo's heart just wasn't in it. He wasn't sure exactly why he couldn't muster up the kind of feelings he knew Hilde felt for him, but he'd hated leading her on.

She had been hurt by his admission, but had known the truth before he even had. Hilde silently suspected he liked someone else, though she couldn't put her finger on exactly who. Duo never went out on dates with anyone else, preferring to spend his time with her or busy at the scrap yard. At first it had been understandable, since the yard needed a lot of time and work, but it was almost self sustaining at this point and they had a whole crew working for them now.

"I think this trip will be good for you Duo. Maybe you can patch things up with the guys, at least to the point where you'll accept Quatre's invitations for a visit. You know how he hates it when you refuse him," Hilde added.

Duo winced at the mentioned visits, it was true Quatre had been trying to get Duo to come down to earth ever since he'd relocated. He'd refused every time, mostly because the thought of being anywhere near Heero and Wufei caused his blood to boil. Although Wufei and him had never seen eye to eye and hadn't really had a chance to get to know one another during the wars, the guy always managed to get under his skin.

Heero on the other hand he thought he had known, had thought they'd been friends but Heero had just about out right dismissed him after the wars. Duo had tried to get into contact with him again, but had been thoroughly rejected time and time again. Once he'd joined the Preventers he'd had a chance to see both Heero and Wufei whenever he'd had an assignment and needed to report to Lady Une, both men ignored and shunned Duo as though they had never set eyes on him before. It had stung his pride in a way Duo had never felt before and so he'd decided not to push the issue anymore.

He was relieved however that Wufei would be willing to assist him, given the less than good vibes between them. Hopefully this whole mess could be taken care of quickly and he wouldn't have to deal too much with Heero in the process.

Deciding that taking a passenger shuttle would take too long and not wanting the hassle of dealing with other boarders, Duo decided that taking one of his own cargo shuttles would save a lot of time and money. He also didn't want to trust such a flight to some stranger when he had such precious cargo.

Hilde, he could already see, was becoming attached to the baby that she hadn't put down since she saw him. Constantly talking to him, rocking him and generally fussing over him, had Duo worried about how she'd deal with him taking the child when he left. The fact that she had alluded to wanting to keep him if his family was never found, told Duo a lot.

Grabbing his suitcase and the one that had packed for Damon, Duo strapped the car seat Hilde had bought into the passenger seat of his pickup truck. The directions had been no help whatsoever, and eventually he'd thrown them aside in favor of wrestling with the straps. There seemed to be far too many, and the plastic buckles keep snagging on everything, tying him up and making it impossible to undo. Hilde stood behind him, watching as he growled obscenities and cursed the car seat makers and their future off spring, should they be so unlucky to reproduce.

Finally unable to watch the torture the seat was putting Duo through any longer, Hilde snatched the directions up again and carefully looked them over.

"The one in your hand should be attached to the seat belt, just slip the clip over it and slide it up so it's secure and the seat doesn't wobble."

Without looking back, Duo quickly complied, and then waited for his next instruction. With Hilde reading off the instructions Duo was eventually able to tame the beast until it looked safe enough to put a child in.

"I swear I was gonna nail the thing down if I had to," he grumbled, giving it one more shake to make sure it wasn't going anywhere.

Hilde just giggled, and carefully placed Damon in the seat, pulling the straps around and over him. Duo eyed it nervously, not sure he trusted it completely.

"You sure there's not more to this thing, Hil? I mean, shouldn't there be some sort of screen or cover? What if something were to fall on him, he's not very protected," Duo worried.

"Well, there is a shade. I suppose you can pull that down, but he'll be fine. He's in perfectly capable hands," Hilde replied smugly, giving Duo a warm smile.

"Fine, but you can't hold me accountable if I accidently drop him or he suffers severe repercussions from being with me. I've already told you I don't think this is a good idea. It would be much better if you took him," Duo argued, dreading the thought of being alone with the baby again.

"I've already shown you how to change him, feed him, bathe him, and talk to him. Everything else you could possibly need to know is in that baby book I bought, which is in your bag. You'll be fine Duo, now for heaven's sake stop worrying and get going. Wufei is going to chew me out if you're late, and that I will blame you for," Hilde said, with a slight shake of her head in amusement at the crestfallen look on Duo's face.

The ride out to the shuttle bay was blissfully uneventful, Damon stayed quiet and Duo's anxiety abated slightly. He managed to get the car seat unstrapped from the truck and into the shuttle's passenger seat without too much of a fight and soon they were in the air and heading towards Earth.

As soon as they had climbed to a certain altitude however Damon started to fuss, causing Duo to glance over at him nervously.

"What's wrong kiddo? Hilde fed and changed you before we left, please don't tell me you're wet already," Duo begged.

Reaching over, he slipped a finger under the leg band of the diaper, but it was still dry. And Damon just knocked the bottle out of Duo's hand when that was offered. Duo just stared bewilderedly down at the baby as his cries continued to escalate.

"I really wish Hilde were here," Duo groaned, unfastening the car seat buckles and gently lifting Damon out.

Cradling the boy gently in the crook of his arm as Hilde had previously shown him, Duo attempted to soothe his wailing. Although he stopped flailing his arms and legs, tears still poured down his reddened cheeks.

"Damon, if you don't stop that soon, my ears are gonna explode," Duo cringed. "Wait, I bet that's what wrong, you've got an ear ache from the pressure, huh little guy?"

Slowly reclining the seat, Duo laid Damon on his chest and gently began to massage his ears and temples. Duo's own ears had begun to pop as well, and he stretched his jaw to alleviate the ache. Slowly as the pressure equalized, Damon's fussing tapered off until he merely sniffled as Duo dried his cheeks.

"See, it goes away after awhile. No need to cry anymore," Duo assured him, as a pair of watery blue eyes looked up at him.

"You know, this trip will go by before you even know it if you go to sleep," Duo suggested, watching the eyelids blink slowly. He doubted the kid would take a nap on command, but perhaps with some music it might help lull him into it.

The sudden beeping from his com unit several hours later awoke Duo with a start. Careful not to jerk the baby in his arms, he sat upright and clicked his monitor on.

"Mr. Maxwell you're cleared for landing at runway 3B in approximately twenty minutes," came the female voice over the com.

Realizing that he must have fallen asleep, Duo checked his heading on the navigation screen and turned off the auto-pilot.

"Alright, has my transport arrived yet?" he asked

"Yes, there is a car waiting for you. They will be ready when you land," she replied.

"Thanks, I'll see you soon then," Duo said, clicking his com off and putting Damon back into his seat.

"Gotta get you strapped in for landing Damon. Hilde would skin me alive if I let you fly this tub," he laughed, earning a sleepy yawn from the babe.

Once on the ground, Duo grabbed both their bags and gently carried the baby seat off the plane to the awaiting car. The driver stepped out to help Duo with his luggage and promptly froze in his tracks.

"Duo, when did you...?" the man started, looking down at the carrier in his hand.

"Hey Trowa, Wufei didn't tell me you were my ride. And this little guy is a long story, which I'll tell you all about on the way," Duo snickered, amused at the wide-eyed look of shock on the tall brunette's face. Nothing ever seemed to faze Trowa, so this was definitely something he would have to share with Quatre.

"Wufei is out on assignment with Heero, they'll be back tonight, but Quatre figured it would be easier if I came and picked you up and brought you back to the house myself," Trowa explained.

"Back to the house? I was just planning on staying at the hotel near the Preventers HQ, like I usually do when I'm in town," Duo protested.

"Do you honestly think Quatre would let you? Especially once he finds out about that?" Trowa said, eyeing the squirming bundle.

Duo just sighed, he knew Quatre too well for that. "You're right, he'll probably be all sad that I didn't tell him about Damon as soon as I found him."

"Damon?" Trowa asked, hoping Duo would start filling in the blanks already.

"Yeah, about 2am this morning someone started pounding on my front door. By the time I got to it, there was no one in sight except this little guy on my doorstep. Anyhow, Hilde suggested I try and find his parents or family and I called Wufei to see if he could use his connections. So here we are," Duo finished, as he buckled the carrier into the back seat and slid into the front.

"Someone left him on your doorstep in the middle of the night? Any idea who?" Trowa wondered, the whole idea seeming quite ludicrous.

"There was a note, saying he was my son, but since I've never been with anyone except Hilde that's pretty much impossible. I don't really know of any other women who were pregnant or who could possibly have done this, so unless Wufei can get some prints from the note I'm in the dark about the whole thing," Duo added with a helpless shrug.

At a complete loss for words, Trowa continued to drive in silence. As far as resources went the Preventers were probably the best choice, they're nets were cast far and wide. They had a very large data base for missing persons throughout the Earth and colonies which no other agency had.

"And if you can't find the family?" Trowa asked, watching as Duo's eyed darkened for a moment.

"Then Hilde and I will take care of him. I've already promised her I wouldn't dump him in some orphanage or let social services get him," Duo whispered, still not sure he could actually go through with it.

Seeing the doubt in Duo's face, Trowa opted to let the subject be for the moment. He knew from what Quatre had told him that the relationship between Duo and Hilde had been strained recently as Duo had confessed he didn't love her. One-sided relationships were hard, especially between best friends and to throw a child into the mess, well, Trowa sincerely hoped the parents were found.

Quatre was waiting outside on the front porch once they pulled into the circular drive way. Grabbing the two duffel bags, Trowa headed for the door, leaving Duo to handle the car seat. Finally getting the hang of the straps after the third time fighting with them, Duo managed to extract the seat without jostling Damon too much. The baby simply looked up at him and started sucking on his fingers.

Striding up to the porch, Duo was stopped by the wide cerulean eyes looking at him as though he'd just grown a second head. Chuckling quietly, Duo plastered a smile to his face.

"Hey Quat, meet your new Godson, Damon," Duo crowed, lifting the car seat up to eye level.

Quatre just blinked, his eyes swiveling from Duo's face to the baby's and back. "My Godson?"

"Well I figured if anything happens to me or Hil, you'd probably be the best choice to take care of my offspring," Duo grinned, as all the color drained from his friend's face.

"Hilde? You mean you and Hilde...but I thought...you said you didn't...my Godson?" Quatre stammered incoherently, as Duo tried not to burst into laughter.

"That is if you want to be his Godfather. I suppose I can always ask someone else..." Duo said, slowly retracting the baby seat.

"No! I mean, yes of course I want to be his Godfather, I'd be honored, really Duo," Quatre blurted, clamoring down the steps in order to stop the seat's movements.

"You want to hold him? He's pretty quiet most of the time, he slept the whole way here once his ears stopped popping," Duo mentioned, lifting Damon out of the seat and holding him out to the blond.

"Really? Oh Duo, he's gorgeous," Quatre replied, gently cradling the baby in his arms.

"He takes a little getting used to, but he starts to grow on you after awhile," Duo laughed, as Quatre cooed and babbled at the bundle much like Hilde had done.

"I've only ever held a few of my sister's babies before, I can't imagine what it must be like to actually have one of your own," Quatre sighed wistfully.

"Well, to be totally honest with you Quatre he's not really mine. At least I don't think he is." Seeing the confused look from his friend, Duo continued. "Hilde didn't give birth to him, we're not together. Damon was left on my doorstep this morning by someone with a note saying he was mine. I have no idea who left him or who wrote the note though. Wufei is going to use his connections to try and locate his family, which is why I'm down here."

Quatre seemed to pull the child closer to him as Duo said that. "So you'll just give him up then?"

"Quatre, I'm an ex Gundam pilot. I don't know beans about taking care of a child and I'm pretty sure someone out there is looking for him," Duo answered.

"Guess I'll have to wait on the Godfather thing then. It was kind of a nice thought though," Quatre murmured.

"You would be my first choice Quat, I can't think of another person alive who I'd trust more," Duo assured, earning a sad but grateful smile in return.


End file.
